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Friday, February 16, 2007
-11:06 PM
Bright Sparks
Gifted Children
The Economist: February 10th 2007
"Geniuses are made, not born." Hungarian chess-theory expert Laszlo Polgar was fond of reiterating that phrase. And as if to prove that statement, he made it a point to spend ten hours a day teaching his three daugthers the art of chess-playing. Two of the trio have attained the status of Grand Master, and the youngest is ranked world 13th; the best female chess player "of all time".
But some disagree. Instead, they spend resources finding and cultivating exceptional talent, attempting to harvest students' potential. America and Britain spend much trying to find the exceptionally gifted in their midst. Singapore falls into this category.
The cultivation of giftedness is a double-edged sword. Should a child be "gifted", there is nothing wrong with allowing him to develop his potential and be the best that he can be. To deny him that opportunity would be certainly be illogical as well as unjust. However, labelling others as "non-gifted" is equally unjust. How then to resolve this dilemma?
The logical solution would be to ensure that every child should be developed to their fullest potential, not just academically, but in whatever field their talents lie in. In many places, the "gifted" are selected based on their excellence in a very narrow skill set - academic brilliance. For those who have a different skill set, they can ideally choose a completely different programme. For example, the sports school is for those who are "gifted" in sports.
Singapore's increasingly wide range of choices for education is starting to send the message that the "gifted" are not really "gifted", they just excel in a different skill set. This message is a lot more effective than dealing with the politically sensitive issue of "giftedness" and elitism, or irate parents complaining that the gifted are arrogant and are not in touch with reality.
In a utopian society, this would be how an education system would be like. Unfortunately, resources are limited and it is just not possible to allow every child to experience the benefits of "gifted" education, even though it might be a worthy goal.
The country allocates limited resources based on whichever skills it deems the most important. For Singapore, its niche has always been that of academic excellence, and most of its resources are diverted to that area.
The main obstruction holding the entire "various areas of giftedness" scheme back is that of a lack of resources. It will definitely be a long while before we are able to nurture every child's talents whatever area it may be. Still, it shouldn't stop us trying.
(428 words)
